Help starting a Honda 1978 CB750K

[luckyme_spun]

I've heard these bikes will often flood and drain batteries. It won't currently start, and a couple questions come to mind:
1. I cranked the kick-starter several times to unflood the engine, but it still wouldn't start. This is what I should be doing to unflood the engine, right? And approximately how many times would I need to crank it to unflood the engine?
2. It's been raining and I left the battery connected for 2 weeks without riding. I'm guessing the battery is drained. Do I need to get a new battery?
3. Even if the battery is dead, should I be able to start the engine with the kickstarter?
4. What are the pros/cons of a new 'maintenance free' battery versus getting a battery charger?
5. Should I regularly disconnect the battery because of this draining problem?

Thanks in advance to any help. This is my first bike and I'm very unexperienced. I have completed a Motorcycle Safety Course, but haven't ridden in a couple years. I'm anxious for the rain to stop so I can ride more.

[storysunfolding]

This would probably be more appropriate in the troubleshooting section.

The first question would be when was the last time the bike started. If it was a few months ago or longer you might need to clean your carbs (might need to anyway).

As to your questions:

1.) If you flood it, wait a few minutes.
2.) Check the battery with a meter. Leaving it for two weeks shouldn't drain it. I've never heard of the CB 750 draining batteries. If you're bike IS draining the battery then there's something wrong with the electrical system that you need to diagnose and fix. The way to tell if you need a new battery is to charge it on a charger with no more than a 2 amp charge (better to do 1.5 amps). Put it back on the bike, hook it up to a meter and see how far the voltage falls when you hit the start button, if it gets to or goes below 10 then replace the battery.
3.) In theory yes. Some people don't kick it hard enough and sometimes other things need to be done (if the bikes been sitting forever, cleaning the carbs is probably needed)
4.) You're going to need a charger at some time. Suck it up and by yourself a nice $30 motorcycle charger.
5.) No, if it is draining the battery then find out why and fix it.

[flynrider]

If the battery is completely dead, no it's not going to start even with the kickstarter. The kickstarter is good for when the battery is to low for the electric starter to turn the bike over, but the ignition system still needs some juice to make a spark.

Go pick up a motorcycle battery charger. They're not expensive and you'll get plenty of use out of it in the future. After that I'd recommend charging up the battery, then test it with a voltmeter. If it doesn't show at least 12 volts after a fresh charge, then the battery is no good. A battery with a fresh charge should spin the electric starter quite easily.

Before worrying about other problems, get the electrical supply question out of the way. As for disconnecting the battery. There should be no reason to do that. Once you're sure that you have a good battery, it should maintain it's charge for much longer than 2 weeks.